Criminal Justice News

Monday, July 02, 2012

CBP Officers Discover Stowaways Hidden in a Locomotive

Five
Canadians Apprehended in Portal, ND Rail Yard

Pembina, N.D. – U.S. Customs and Border
Protection officers in Portal, North Dakota intercepted five Canadian citizens
on June 25, who were riding concealed aboard a railroad engine after their
illegal entry into the United States from Canada.

The stowaways were attempting to enter
the U.S. when the train passed through a CBP imaging system where a CBP officer
spotted the outlines of the subjects aboard the locomotive engine. The five
individuals were taken into custody at the rail yard and transported to the
Portal port of entry for processing and returned to Canada.

“The use of technology based tools such
as gamma imaging systems are one of the tools in CBP’s arsenal that help
identify stowaways and contraband attempting to be imported into the United
States,” said Portal Port Director Brent Beeter. “We are very proud of the work
our officers do every day.”

Gamma x-ray imaging technology systems
produce transmission and reflected images of the contents of a cargo container,
rail car, vehicle or trailer-truck. CBP officers analyze these images to
determine where there are anomalies associated with the cargo listed on the
manifest.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is
the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged
with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and
between official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and
terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.